Gov. Walz to meet with Ricky Cobb's family on Wednesday

Body, squad videos show fatal I-94 shooting: RAW

The Minnesota State Patrol on Tuesday released three body camera videos and one squad car video showing the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis on Monday, July 31, 2023. Disclaimer: The footage in this video is disturbing.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is set to meet Wednesday with the family of Ricky Cobb, the man killed by state troopers during a traffic stop along I-94.

Bodycam video shows Cobb being shot as he tried to pull away from the traffic stop after troopers discovered he was wanted for violating an order of protection in Ramsey County.

Governor Walz says he is scheduled for a private meeting with Cobb's mother Wednesday morning. Speaking with members of the press on Tuesday, he also addressed concerns that the Minnesota BCA would investigate the circumstances of the shooting.

The concern is that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is under the Department of Public Safety, which also oversees the Minnesota State Patrol. Tuesday, Governor Walz said he believes there was no better group than the BCA team to lead the investigation.

"This is the first time, at least in recent memory, that we had a state agency involved [in a deadly use of force shooting]," Walz argued. "This is the best-qualified group of folks out there. I have been in contact with the family and will meet again tomorrow with Ricky Cobb's mother, reassuring them that we need to have a transparent, fair, and rapid investigation into what happened here."

The BCA will investigate the shooting and their findings will be forwarded to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, which will in turn decide if the use of force was justified. Last week, as bodycam video was released in the case, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she had asked the BCA to prioritize the situation, adding her office would make a charging decision "as quickly as possible."